Lord – give us your joy.

“Zion hears about this and rejoices” (Psalm 97:8).God’s Word brings joy. True joy is not something that we can give to ourselves. It must be given to us by the Lord. This joy – the joy of the Lord – gets stronger and stronger, as we listen to the Word  of the Lord and receive …

Fron every tribe and nation and people and language

"With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). To Abraham, the Word of God was spoken: "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). In the one hundredth Psalm, we have a call to worship: "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth" (verse …

We don’t go looking for trouble – but it finds us.

"I will be with him in trouble" (Psalm 91:15). Troubled times come our way. We don't go out looking for trouble - but it finds us. What happens to our faith when we come into troubled times? Does our faith collapse, or do we learn to take our stand upon God's Word: "I will be …

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart …

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High" (Psalm 9:1-2). Joyful thanksgiving - Is there any other kind of thanksgiving? We can speak the words of …

Keep looking up …

"Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you" (Psalm 102:1). To whom do we look for help? Here, the Psalmist looks to the Lord. May we join, with him, in saying, "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1).

Looking beyond physical love to spiritual truth

Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psalm 99:1-9 God uses the physical as an analogy of the spiritual. In 1 Corinthians 12, “the body” symbolizes the Church. In Song of Songs, the theme is physical love. By the Spirit of God, the physical language points beyond itself by using imagery which is suggestive of …

Heavenly Birth, Life In The Spirit, Glorious Destination

Psalm 87:1-7 ‘Glorious things are said of you, O city of God… The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion”. As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in You”’(Psalm 87:3,6-7). We thank You, Lord, that the ‘city of God’ is our glorious destination …

Jesus Christ – the sinless Son of God

Joshua 15:1-16:10; John 1:1-28; Psalm 53:1-6 Each tribe had its limited allotment of land. Jesus Christ, “the Word” who “was God”, “became flesh” (John 1:1,14). He accepted the limitations of being human. He was human, yet without sin. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 53:1,3).  This is true of every human …

Worshipping the Lord, and calling on others to worship him

"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth... Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:1,3). This is what I am going to do: "I will bless the Lord at all times... ." This is what I'm inviting you to do: "Magnify the Lord with me... ." When we …

A great testimony, and great blessing from the Lord

"I waited patiently for the Lord; nd He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth, praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will …

Touched by love, we learn to love.

Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Psalm 100:1-5 There is physical love (Song of Songs). There is the love spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13. There is the love of God – “For the Lord is good and His love endures for ever” (Psalm 100:5). The more we consider what the Scriptures say about …

I will make music to You.

"I will make music to You in front of the false gods" (Psalm 138:1). We live in an age of pluralism, but we must remain single-minded in our devotion to the Lord. "You made me bold by strengthening my soul" (Psalm 138:3).  We come to the Lord in weakness. He give us His strength.  "O …

Let Us ‘Magnify’ The Lord – ‘O Lord Our God, How Majestic Is Thy Name’.

Psalms 92:1-93:5 ‘You, O Lord, are exalted for ever... The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty...’(8; 93:1-2). The Lord is ‘exalted’. We are to exalt Him in our worship. He is not exalted because we exalt Him. We exalt Him because He is exalted. He is ‘exalted far above all gods’. That is why …

Reasons to be cheerful

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is …

We let God down. He lifts us up.

"O Lord, listen to my prayer. Open your ears to hear my urgent requests. Answer me because you are faithful and righteous" (Psalm 143:1). The Psalmist doesn't say, 'Answer me because I am faithful and righteous.' He prays, "O Lord ... Answer me because You are faithful and righteous." God is faithful. We fail Him.He never fails …

God’s blessings are great. He is greater than all His blessings.

"Your mercy is better than life itself. So I will thank You as long as I live" (Psalm 63:3-4). As we travel on our journey through our life on earth, enjoying God's blessings, let's not forget to give thanks to the Lord. His blessings are great. He is greater than all His blessings. 

Don’t look only at the things which are happening now. Look, also, to the glory which is yet to come.

‘Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’(Psalm 16:11). In this earthly life, there are many difficulties. For all of God’s people, there is something better still to come. We must look not only at the things which are …

Receiving The Lord’s Joy And Growing In His Joy

"Righteous people will find joy in the Lord and take refuge in Him" (Psalm 64:10).  There is only One who is truly righteous - Jesus Christ, God's Son. He has died for us. Now, we are righteous in Him.Our righteousness is based on His righteousness. Our forgiveness comes from this - Jesus died on the …

The Lord is with you.

Judges 6:1-7:8a; John 5:16-30; Psalm 57:7-11 The source of Gideon’s spiritual strength lay in the Lord – “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). The source of Jesus’ strength lay in God the Father – “the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can only do what He sees the Father doing” (John …

God’s unfailing love

"May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise" (Psalm 119:41). Our salvation comes from the love of God for us, not our love for him. Time and time again, we fail in our love for God. He never fails in his love for us. His love for us is "unfailing love."

In Christ, we are “more than conquerors.”

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths (Isaiah 2:3). I rejoiced when I heard them say: Let us go to God's house (Psalm 122:1). We are called to worship …

The greatness of God’s love for us

‘The Lord is high above all nations… Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high?… Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, who turns the hard rock into springs of water’(Psalm 113:4-5; Psalm 114:7-8). The Lord is greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness like the …

Light in the darkness

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). Without the Word of the Lord, we're stumbling around in the dark; We're trying to make sense of life, but it's not quite working, There's something missing. The Word of the Lord comes to us. It brings light into …

The kindness of God

2 Samuel 9:1-10:19; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 70:1-5 The kindness of God is shown in different ways. We read of “God’s kindness” being shown to Mephibosheth – “he always ate at the king’s house” (2 Samuel 9:3,7). Nevertheless, we are also told, at the end of the chapter, that “he was crippled in both feet” (2 Samuel …

“Come! … Come! … Come! … Come!”

“Come! … Come! … Come! … Come!”: This is what we read in Revelation 6, verses 1, 3, 5 and 7. The invitation is clear. We are to come to the Lord. How are we to come to Him? If we are to learn how we are to come to Him, we should learn also …

We seek God’s mercy for our past sins. We seek His help for our future temptations.

‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord”’ (Psalm 122:2). Why do we go to the House of the Lord? We go ‘to give thanks to the Name of the Lord’ (Psalm 122:4). We seek His mercy for our past sins: ‘Have mercy on us, O …

The words that we speak for God are more than our words. They are words that are grounded in the Word of God.

Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me (Matthew 10:40). In these words of Jesus, we read about God, our heavenly Father, we read about Jesus Christ , our Saviour, and we read about those who bring the Word of God and the gospel of Christ …

Let’s Thank God For His Love. Let’s Live To Please Him.

Psalm 103:1-22 ‘Praise the Lord’(1-2,20-22). Let’s praise Him for His ‘steadfast love’. He is ‘abounding in steadfast love’(8). How are we to respond to His ‘steadfast love’? Are we to say, ‘God loves me. I can do what I like’? No! We must not think like this. We’re not to say, ‘I’ll keep on sinning. …

Learning From Psalm 23

Turning to 'the Shepherd Psalm' (Psalm 23), we focus our attention on verse 5: 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows'. We are to feast on God's Word. We are to be filled with God's Spirit. The 'table' is the place …

Sing To The Lord.

May God help each of us to “sing to the Lord.” May we “sing praise to Him.” May we “glory in His holy Name.” May we “rejoice” in Him. May we come to Him in our weakness and find our new “strength” in Him (Psalm 105:2-4).  

Saved by the Lord

"Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord" (Deuteronomy 33:29). Where does true happiness come from? It comes from this: we have been "saved by the Lord." We are not perfect "people." We are privileged "people." Being "saved by the Lord": what a great privilege this is! We do …

Genesis 1

"Genesis 1" has become a battlefield. People argue about creation and evolution. A battllefield: Is this all that we have in Genesis 1? When we read our Bibles, do we leave Genesis 1 to "the experts" - the people who know what they're talking about? This raises some questions. Who, exactly are the "experts"? What …

Bless the Lord.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits" (Psalm 103:1). "Bless the Lord... To the Lord I will sing... Bless the Lord" (Judges 5:2,3,9). We have many good reasons to praise the Lord. Let us think of …

Out of the shadows of our past, into the light of His future

Micah 5:1-7:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Proverbs 21:17-26 God wipes out the shadow of our past - He “pardons sin” (Micah 7:18). He shines in the light of His future - “We will be “clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:4). From this standpoint of privilege, we are called to fulfil our responsibility: to be soldiers …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (24): At the cross of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of Christ.

Welcome to the twentieth-fourth stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: At the cross of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 114 When the people of Israel left Egypt,    when Jacob's descendants left that foreign land,2 Judah became the Lord's holy people,    Israel became his own possession.3 The Red Sea looked …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (22): Let us worship God – our response to love, eternal love, the love of God

Welcome to the twenty-second stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: Let us worship God - our response to love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 98 Sing a new song to the Lord;    he has done wonderful things!By his own power and holy strength    he has won the victory.2 The Lord announced his victory;    he made his …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (20): On the Lord’s pathway of victory, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the twentieth stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: On the Lord's pathway of victory, we see love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 143 Lord, hear my prayer!In your righteousness listen to my plea;    answer me in your faithfulness!2 Don't put me, your servant, on trial;    no one is innocent in …

How Great Is Our God!

"Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done? Who can announce all the things for which He is worthy of praise?" (Psalm 106:2). There is always more to be said about the Lord than we can ever say. When we have said all that we can say, we have not said …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (18): May your soul be lifted up by love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the eighteenth stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: May your soul be lifted up by love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 42 As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,    so I long for you, O God.2 I thirst for you, the living God.    When can I go …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (16): In creation and Scripture, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the sixteenth stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: In creation and Scripture, we see love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 19 How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!    How plainly it shows what he has done!2 Each day announces it to the following day;    each night repeats it to the …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (12): Our hope of eternal glory comes from love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the twelfth stage of our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: Our hope of eternal glory comes from love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 16 Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety.2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;    all the good things I have come from you.” …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (10): Be still and know that there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the tenth stage of our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday; Be still and know that there is love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 46 God is our shelter and strength,    always ready to help in times of trouble.2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken    and mountains …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (8): In the end, there will be love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the eighth stage of our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: In the end, there will be love, eternal love, the love of God. Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good;    his love is eternal.2 Give thanks to the greatest of all gods;    his love is eternal.3 Give thanks to the mightiest …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (3): Out of darkness into light – the “spacious” place of God’s salvation

Welcome to the third stage of our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: Out of darkness into light - the "spacious" place of God's salvation. Psalm 31:1-4 I come to you, Lord, for protection;    never let me be defeated.You are a righteous God;    save me, I pray!2 Hear me! Save me now!Be my refuge to protect me;    my defense …

A holy man of God

"I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God" (2 Kings 4:9). What a wonderful reputation Elisha had. He was known as "a holy man of God" - What a reputation to be lived up to! How can any sinner become a holy man of God? This is …

Christ died for us. Let us live for Him.

Thursday in Holy Week: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17 Christ died for us. Let us live for Him. Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass …

The Lord has saved us. Let us rejoice and be glad in him.

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (Psalm 14:7). Salvation comes to us from the Lord. We do not save ourselves. He restores us. We rejoice in him.

Old words – for each new generation

"Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord" (Psalm 102:18). Sometimes, people say, "That was then. This is now." They're pointing out that today's world is very different from the ancient world. We know this, but there's something else that needs to be said: in today's world, we …

God’s faithful love

"God sends His love and faithfulness" (Psalm 57:3).Whatever may be happening in our lives, let’s remember God’s faithful love. Let’s will look beyond everything that’s happening to us. Let’s catch a glimpse of God’s presence and purpose. : God is there, and He is fulfilling His purpose of “love and faithfulness.” In Jesus Christ, the love and faithfulness …

Responding to Jesus Christ

Sixth Sunday in Lent (Palm / Passion): Entry into Jerusalem – Matthew 21:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Passion – Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66 (or Matthew 27:11-54)    PALM SUNDAY Our response to Christ - Discipleship, Depth, Devotion Four times, Jesus is called ‘the Son of David’ (Matthew 20:30-31; 21:9,15). Christ is greater than …

Praising our Creator … and praising our Saviour

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation ... Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker ... " (Psalm 95:2,6).The Lord is our Maker. He is, also, our Saviour. The Lord is reaching out to us, …

“Create in me a clean heart.”

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God... Cast me not away from Thy presence... Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation’(Psalm 51:10-12). These words come to us from the ancient past. They were first spoken many centuries ago. They can be the words which change your future. You can make them your words. …

‘O Lord, listen to my prayer. Open your ears to hear my urgent requests. Answer me because you are faithful and righteous’ (Psalm 143:1).

The Psalmist doesn't say, 'Answer me because I am faithful and righteous.' He prays, "O Lord ... Answer me because you are faithful and righteous." God is faithful. We fail him. He never fails us. When we let him down, he lifts us up.

Darkness is my closest friend?

"Darkness is my closest friend" (Psalm 88:18). "What a dismal outlook on life!", we say. When such negativity threatens to overwhelm us, what are we to do? Are we to believe what our dark feelings are telling us? or Are we to say, "No! This is the lie of the devil. This thought has come …

When the Lord turns things around for us, let us not forget to say thank you to him.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14). How often, we fall down. How often, the Lord picks us up again. There are times when we're asking ourselves, "Is this the end of the road?" We feel like we've had …

God Has Blessed Us With His Salvation.

Psalm 81:1-16 God calls us to worship Him with joy - ‘Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!’(1). He has blessed us with His salvation - ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt’. He will continue to bless us, as …

God’s love is greater than our sin.

"Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord, may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, God our Saviour, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake" (Psalm 79:8-9). God doesn't treat us according to our sins. He treats us according to …

Now I belong to Jesus – not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11). This verse means a lot to me. It was given to me at the time when I set out on a life of ministry. It tells us that …

I will glory in the Lord… Glorify the Lord with me.

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together (Psalm 34:1-3). As we read these words of the Psalmist, our thoughts move from him to …

The greatness of the Lord is always so much greater than all human greatness.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise (Psalm 47:6-7). The Lord has given us a song to sing. It's a song of praise. We sing to the Lord. We praise him. We thank him that …